


Conflict Resolution

by turnaboutdanganronpa



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Alternate Universe, Crackfic (prologue only), F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hagakure is a stoner bum, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kaede and Hajime play piano, Memory Loss, That poor bagel..., Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2020-07-19 23:28:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19982323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnaboutdanganronpa/pseuds/turnaboutdanganronpa
Summary: "Within every person… there’s always conflict that resides inside their mind and body… whether it is an internal conflict of control, or an external one that involves those that are dear to them, or are despised. Regardless of what occurs, a conclusion will always be reached. No matter how far or impossible it is to reach it, the truth… will be one and the same."Hajime is a boy who is used to treading the path life has paved for him on his own. Kaede is a girl who never fails to show people the silver lining in every storm cloud. When their worlds collide in the music room, lives are changed, and new perspectives are brought into view. Maybe it's sparks, or maybe it's a craving for affection, but one thing's for certain... one can't simply forget a bright smile like her's.More tags will be added as the story is written





	1. Nagito and his Bagels

Once upon a time, Nagito fucked a bagel. Even though he fucked the bagel hard and rough, it didn’t split into small pieces at all, showing how delicate he is with his one, true love… or just that it’s hard as fuck, then it makes perfect sense. It could also be that he has a small dick, but we don’t talk about that. After 3 minutes, he climaxed, with the bagel being covered in his own cum, and somehow having some of it fall onto his fragile, skinny body, but… who cares, am I right? This is the story of how the Everything Bagel was created, following the adventures of one fuck up that everyone hates, and his business that’s still running to this day.

Oh wait, this isn’t about him? Oh thank god, I was worried for a moment… don’t wanna be arrested for many different crimes that one could commit from writing this piece of trash person and his bagel fucking addiction, which is his fetish as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So obviously, this isn't the actual story... it's just a funny thing I decided to add, because why not? 
> 
> The real story is about a very underrated crack ship (in my opinion), so I hope you look forward to that. I'll see you in the next update!


	2. The Moon

Within a class of around 35 students, with each one focusing on the class that is being presented by the teacher, drawing out characters on a blackboard with chalk, causing a sound of friction created whenever the chalk gets dragged across the dark canvas. As the majority of the students pay attention to the man in front of them, one student in particular decides to avoid the class, with their eyes triangulated at the blue sky.

“School’s as boring as ever… the only thing that the teacher does is talk and talk…” the student thought, watching the white, puffy clouds moving out of their view that’s provided to them, using their hand to rest their head on, “If only I could reach for the sky and be free from this hell…” the student closed their eyes, with their vision turning just as dark as the blackboard in the classroom, pushing the world away and entering a void that no one can see. 

“Usually, when I get asked for introductions, I tend to try and avoid them, as I get embarrassed when I talk about myself.” the student looks around with embarrassment in their own little world, as they clear their throat and display a posture of confidence to no one around them.

“My name’s Hajime Hinata, and I’m your typical high school student at Shining Star International High School. Honestly, there isn’t much to talk about someone as average as me, even though my friends would say so otherwise. I have average grades, average hobbies, average everything!”

**_“Is what I would say, but that’s nothing but a facade...”_ **

“To be more exact... I'm not like most people around my age at all. I don't many great talents, outstanding personality traits, achievements... And no one that I can consider a friend at all. I guess you could say that I'm different from everybody else, but not in a way that makes me stand out for good reason."  
“My dream is… to be able to run… be free from the chains I’m tied to… to be free from those that keep me captive in those shackles of agony and despair… but, I’m weak… pathetic… and useless… the world is nothing but a facade… I can only see the darkness around me, nothing else… “

*AHEM*

Hajime snaps out from his world, shaking his head out of reflex and opening his eyes wide, only to be presented with everyone in class, including the teacher, paying attention to the boy at the far corner of the classroom. 

“Mr. Hinata, I hope you’ve been paying attention to the class, cause I want you to answer this question.” The teacher said, pointing their chalk at the young boy, who groggily stands up from his chair, “Can you tell the class about the Kenmu Restoration that happened during the Edo Period?”

“W-Well… the Kenmu Restoration was… a restoration of the Kenmu?” Hajime shakily answered, with no confidence in his voice whatsoever, causing the whole class to erupt in laughter, as the boy hid his face in embarrassment and sat back down on his chair

“Mr. Hinata, I hope this’ll teach you to actually pay attention and not daydream into whatever little fantasy world you’re thinking of.” The teacher told the young student, as the students have settled down from laughing at ‘Bakajime’, with the lesson continuing on from the standstill that was caused, while Hajime still having his face covered in shame. 

“Yeah… while I know myself as Hajime Hinata, most people call me ‘Bakajime’ as a way of mocking me… “ Hajime said to himself, continuing with his inner monologue, “It’s a name that, while most would find it annoying to have such taunting nicknames, I just… accepted it, even though I can’t lie to myself at all...”

As Hajime emits a quiet sigh, the school bell rings. The students, including Hajime, all stand up and bow to the teacher, before everyone starts to pack their things inside their bags, “Don’t forget that you have homework about the Kamakura Era, which I expect for you all to hand over tomorrow,“ the teacher tells the class, which they then point the chalk at Hajime yet again, “Especially you, Mr. Hinata!”

Hajime sighs, turning his slightly irritated face away from the public, before he’d relax his facial muscles, slinging over his messenger bag on his left shoulder and walking out of the classroom without saying a word to anyone.

**\--Later--**

As the shining Sun starts to set down to be replaced by the Moon, Hajime walks across the streets, which is lightly populated by a few high school students heading back home, with a few adults returning from their busy days at work. 

“Hey! Did you hear the news about that boy band having a concert soon?” A female student asked, having a discussion with another female student about boy bands, “I’m thinking of going there this week… I’m a massive fan of their music.”

“Really? I’m thinking of going there as well! Maybe we can meet up and head up there.” the female student #2 replied in excitement.

“Sounds great! At least I’ll have someone to go there with!” the female student #1 exclaimed, as the two started to talk about another subject, as Hajime eavesdropped on the conversation for a bit, closing his eyes and sighing, before opening his eyes and taking a right turn into a dark alleyway as a shortcut to his house. 

“The alleyway is as quiet as ever… wonder if he’s around here.” Hajime thought to himself, venturing deep into the alleyway, while staying alert for any potential dangers that can creep up to the boy. As the alleyway becomes darker and darker, Hajime pulls out his phone, and uses the flashlight feature, to make it easier to navigate the darkness around him.

“Hey! Get back here!” A man shouts out, as a black cat emerges out from the shadows, with a bag of contents in its mouth, while the man appearing out from the same direction as the feline did from the right side of the alley, causing Hajime take a few steps back.

“Don’t run away with my drugs, man!” the man points at the cat, who’s sitting on top of a trash can, before he lunges forward to catch the animal, however, due to the agility of the cat, it leaps over the man, who crashes hard into the trash cans, with the contents flying everywhere, before the cat scours away with its reward.

“Ouch… you okay, Hagakure?” Hajime asked, walking over to the man to lend him a hand up, which they grab and get up, brushing their clothes from any trash and dirt that he has on him, “I see that you’re doing well…”

“Yeah, I’m fine… damn cat stole my drugs, man.” Hagakure said, rubbing his bumped forehead, “Anyway... How are you, my brother from another mother? It’s rare to see you here, what’s up?”

“Not much… just passing through, is all. What about you?” 

“Same as usual, just like business, if you count stealing as business!” Hagakure answered, with annoyance plastered across his face, “How else can I earn my money to get a crystal ball!? I need to scam people- I mean give fortunes to people… yeah!”

Hajime facepalms, being disappointed in the man, before he checks the time on his phone, and looks back at Hagakure, “Anyway, I better get going home… I’ll see you around, Weedman.” Hajime says his goodbyes to Hagakure, as he departs to return to his home.

“I’ll see ya around, man! Take it easy!”

“I know what you’re wondering… who was that man right there? Well, that’s Yasuhiro Hagakure, a homeless 20-something year old man that’s still attending high school… from the rumors that I’ve heard around the streets. He’s a decent guy, but we’re only acquaintances… nothing more, nothing less.” Hajime mentally noted to himself, finally seeing the light at the end of the alleyway, as steps out into the light- 

***THUMP***

Only to be greeted by darkness yet again, as Hajime suddenly falls down on his ass, with his arms scampering around in panic. 

“Ah! What the heck!?” Hajime shouted, with sudden panic in voice, as his hands hurriedly went up to face, feeling an object that’s texture is similar to paper, with his body relaxing, grabbing the thing that’s blocking his vision, only to see a bunch of symbols and lines on it, with the words ‘Clair de Lune’ written on top. 

“Is this a music sheet?” Hajime wondered, as he looked around to see if there's someone who might’ve lost their music sheet, but to no avail. The young boy stands up, brushing his pants from any dirt, proceeding to then glance over at the piece of paper in his hand. “Someone must’ve dropped it… and doesn’t seem like anyone’s looking for it. I better keep it for now, in case I find the owner... ” Hajime folds up the music sheet and places it inside his messenger bag, before continuing on with his journey.

**\--Next Day--**

“Alright class (and Mr. Hinata), I hope you got your homework ready!” the teacher said, as he started to go and collect many pieces of paper that are on the student’s desks, finally reaching Hajime’s desks, “So Mr. Hinata, should I expect disappointment, or are you going to make me surprised?”

“Well… I think you’re going to be surprised, cause I have it right here.” Hajime takes out a piece of folded paper and hands it to his teacher, who unfolds it, only to have shock in his face, “I did the work this time around, so I think I’m-”

“Safe? Mr. Hinata, please tell me you’re joking and not handing in a music sheet as homework…” the teacher said, as he showed the music sheet that Hajime collected from yesterday, causing the class to erupt in more laughter.  
“C-Crap…!“ Hajime scratches the back of his head, looking away in embarrassment, as the teacher places down the music sheet and sighs in annoyance, before returning to his desk, “Seems like I’m in trouble now…”

“Mr. Hinata, I think you what happens when you forget to bring in your homework, correct?”

“Uh… is it detention…?” 

“That’s correct!” the teacher exclaimed, pointing the chalk from the blackboard straight at Hajime, “Indeed it is a detention… and it’ll be a punishment that you’ll be receiving after school today!” 

Hajime sighs, covering his face with his hands and closing his eyes to prevent any further light from coming through, ignoring everything else around him, besides the echoes of the laughter seeping through into his mind, mocking him for being a failure. 

“This day went from bad to worse… and probably will be even worse after detention…” Hajime said to himself, with a mental image of himself lying down on the floor, looking up at the dark sky in his own world, before he shuts off the real world to put full focus on his imaginary world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading the official first chapter of "Conflict Resolution"! While the chapter had an absence of an important character (aka Kaede), this chapter was put as a focus for who Hajime is in this story... however, the next chapter will be more focused on Kaede, so look out for that! 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day! :D


	3. The Sun

* **TAP TAP TAP** *

Not too far from the classroom, the sound of running footsteps could be heard as another student ran as if her life depended on it.

“I’m late… I’m so late,” she exclaimed to herself as she checked the time. Unfortunately for this student, being tardy for her first class of the day had become a bit of a habit of her, due to the amount of nights she spent staying up. No, not because she’s studying for a test, or because she couldn’t sleep… it was more so a hobby of hers that she just couldn’t quit.

The girl eventually tripped over her own feet and landed with a thud. The first thing she noticed was the sheet music that had fallen out of her hands and were scattered everywhere. She got up to collect every single piece of paper, but managed to miss one as it blew off into the distance. In any other circumstance, she would’ve gone after it, but she figured she was in enough trouble for being tardy for the third day in a row, so she decided to leave it be for now.

“Who knows,” she thought to herself. “Maybe someone will find it… and they can discover the beautiful sound that rings from the piano.” The next thing she noticed was a small amount of blood trickling down from the stinging cut on her knee.

“Oh well… it’s not like I’m badly hurt or anything.” She began walking in the direction of her classroom once more as she began to recite a monologue she had been practicing for a while.

“Before we jump into things too quickly, I guess it would be best if I introduced myself. My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I can't say I'm super extraordinary, but I do my best to put a smile on everyone's face. I do have a lot of acquaintances, but not a lot of friends, though I can't say I mind too much since I still have my mom. I also practice piano day in and day out, so I lead a pretty busy lifestyle anyway.” Kaede’s mother had always complained that she never really had friends outside of school, so practicing her introductions became a regular habit of hers. On top of that, she had always imagined what it was like to be the protagonist in an epic visual novel, so there was that too.

“Miss Akamatsu, you’re late again.” A woman’s voice filled the once silent room as a few of the students looked up from their notebooks to glance at her, while the rest were furiously writing notes from the lecture.

“I’m sorry… I’ll try to be on time tomorrow,” she says while catching her breath, as she takes her seat in the front row.

“This is the third time you’ve been tardy this week, Miss Akamatsu,” the teacher said in a firm, yet oddly calming voice. “Anymore than that could earn you a detention.”

Kaede opened her notebook, choosing to ignore her classmates whispering “Piano Freak” all around her. Sure, she didn’t exactly appreciate being called such names, but she knew better than to react. Instead, she began to tune out the voices around her as an enchanting piece of classical music played in her head.

“Ah… Kaede.”

The song was interrupted by a soft-spoken voice.

“I took some notes from the lecture earlier… do you want to copy them?”

“Oh, Shuichi!” Kaede turned her head to the raven-haired boy sitting next to her. “Yes, thank you. I really appreciate you helping me whenever I’m late.” She pulled out her notebook and began copying the notes hastily.

“It’s not a problem, really.” It was difficult to see exactly what expression Shuichi was making due to his hat covering his eyes, but Kaede was sure she could make out a faint smile.

As she continued to copy Shuichi’s notes, Kaede heard a light buzzing sound coming from her phone. She took a quick glance around the room to make sure the teacher, or anyone who might tattle on her for that matter, wasn’t looking before checking her notifications.

Ibuki: “HEY HEY HEY!!! We rly need 2 have another band practice sumtime!”

Though painful to read, Kaede couldn’t help but smile at the text before she replied.

Kaede: “I’m in. Does today after school work?”

Moments later, a third person joined in on the conversation.

Sayaka: “My idol group has rehearsal tonight. Maybe we can do it tomorrow?”

Kaede: “Sounds good!”

Despite being more of an outsider to most people, Kaede did have a small circle of friends, which she cherished dearly. First, there was Shuichi, a shy detective with a serious exterior. Though somewhat reserved at first glance, he was known to be very kind once he started to open up. Then there were her bandmates, Ibuki and Sayaka. Ibuki was a wild guitarist who was 2 years ahead of her, known for writing unusual songs with strange meanings. Sayaka was a vocalist in a semi-popular idol group who was a year ahead of Kaede and one behind Ibuki. Together, they made up the group known as Singing Harmony.

Kaede quickly put her phone down when Shuichi signaled to her that the teacher was coming their way, something they had always done for each other in case one of them needed to answer their phone for something important.

“That was a close one… I guess I got carried away planning a jam session,” Kaede said, quickly taking notes while the teacher walked by.

“Are you planning another performance in the near future?” Shuichi asked out of curiosity.

“Maybe… we’ll have to see what our schedules look like.” Kaede put her pencil down to relieve the cramp in her hand that she got from writing so intently.

“Well… if you do… let me know… I’d like to hear you play sometime.” Shuichi looked away, but not without Kaede noticing the slight blush creeping across his face.

“Alright. I’ll keep you updated!” And for the rest of the school day, Kaede took notes here and there while making idle chatter with Shuichi.

As the sun was setting in the orange sky, Kaede began walking home like she had no care in the world, much unlike the rush she was in earlier that morning. In the quiet neighborhood was complete silence, not that she minded. It was always so peaceful at this time of day… nobody bustling about while the darkness had yet to set in. She wasn’t alone for long, however, as a grey cat scampered from the bushes, running up to Kaede and dropping a brown paper bag by her feet.

“Sly, have you been stealing people’s lunches again?” She reached into her backpack and pulled out some leftovers from lunch. “It’s not much, but I hope you like it.” She reached down to scratch the top of the cat’s head before letting him eat.

Though the cat belonged to no one, Kaede had given him the name “Sly” due to how crafty he was. Every day without fail, he would bring Kaede various “gifts” in exchange for food, which was usually food Kaede saved from lunch for him. Kaede always wondered where he lived previously because of how tame he was, but she never really looked into it. She thought he must have had some sort of place to stay, considering he had been able to survive during the winter weather, which was slowly creeping its way into the small town they lived in.

She glanced at the paper bag at her feet, which piqued her interest. It wasn’t typical for Sly to bring something like this. His gifts usually involved some sort of dead prey. Kaede would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about the contents, but she knew better than to open it. Her mom had always warned her about thugs lurking in the shadows, waiting to catch their next victim. Even if the most recent incident was from when she was five years old, she figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

As Kaede opened the door to her home, eating dinner was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she headed straight for the music room that held her precious piano. She took the sheet music out of her backpack, sifting through them to find that one specific song that never failed to satisfy her whenever she played it… Only to realize it was missing. She sighed as she had come to the realization that Claire de Lune was missing from her set. Perhaps she should be a little more careful when walking to school (or running, for that matter).

“I guess this one will have to do for now,” she sighed as she pulled out a piece called Moonlight Sonata, an unusually dark piece for such a bright and cheery girl. Her fingers danced across the keys until she came across a part that was more difficult to play. She tried her usual method of practicing that particular part until she had it down and repeated this process until she finished the song, then moved onto the next one. She hadn’t been keeping track of time, but she knew when to quit and go to bed… right?

Kaede was proven otherwise when she woke up the next morning with her forehead pressed against the keys. Letting out a big yawn, she slowly picked herself up off the piano bench and walked into the kitchen to eat some breakfast. On the kitchen counter, she spotted a plate of cinnamon toast with a note:

“Had to leave early for work today. Stay safe. Love you!”

-Mom

Kaede couldn’t help but smile to herself as she took a bite out of her toast. However, that smile turned to a feeling of panic when she noticed the clock hanging next to the cabinets, indicating that school would be starting in ten minutes. As she scarfed down her breakfast, Kaede figured she could make it to class on time if she ran. She threw on her winter coat hastily after noticing the frost that was forming outside and took off.

* **TAP TAP TAP** *

Just like the day before, Kaede’s running footsteps resounded throughout the neighborhood, though this time she was determined to get to class on time and keep her record of zero detentions. She knew she couldn’t survive detention. What kind of students go to detention, anyway? Probably kids like that one yakuza kid… or that one guy with the pompadour who lead a biker gang… or maybe the leader of the notorious prankster group at their school… The bottom line was, she didn’t fit the mold for that kind of thing.

Kaede burst through the entrance doors and took off running after making sure there weren’t any hall monitors present. Maybe today she would actually make it to cla-

* **THUD** *

Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly slipped on the wet floor below her, and the bell rang, indicating that class had started.

“Careful,” the school janitor said in his usual monotone voice while pointing the “Wet Floor” sign in front of her. Kaede puffed out her cheeks in frustration. If she hadn’t had slipped, she would have been fine. Why was the janitor mopping the floor at this time, anyway? Weren’t they supposed to do that at night or something?

“Kaede!”

Luckily, a familiar face came to her rescue as Shuichi walked through the entrance door.

“Are you alright?” he asked, helping Kaede to her feet.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, huffing as she brushed the dust off her skirt. “I just got the wind knocked out of me, that’s all.”

“Just be careful, okay? I would hate to see you get hurt…”

Kaede gave Shuichi a reassuring smile before the pair headed off to class.

“My, you two are late for class.” The teacher paused her lecture upon notice of their arrival.

“Ah, sorry I’m late… I was busy doing things in my uncle’s office,” Shuichi said nervously, looking like he wanted to disappear right then and there.

“More like busy doing Kaede,” a voice whispered from the back of the classroom as a few snickers could be heard nearby. Kaede rolled her eyes at the immaturity of the comment. Yes, she was good friends with Shuichi, but she wasn’t interested in him like that, and it’s not like he was interested in her either.

“Well Mr. Saihara, since this is your first time showing up late to class, I’ll let it slide this time. But don’t let it happen again.”

“Yes ma'am.” Shuichi kept his head down as he took his seat.

“But as for you, Miss Akamatsu, this is your fourth time this week showing up late for class. I’m sorry to say this, but I’ll have to give you detention,” the teacher said sternly, handing Kaede a slip of paper while she headed to her seat. One thing was for sure: her mom was going to kill her when she found out about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, two updates in under 24 hours?! A little fun fact about the first two chapters is that they were actually written side by side to show the contrast in every aspect of our two main characters' lives.
> 
> Anyway, I've been reading through the comments, and they honestly really make me smile. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon, because I promise you it will be quite exciting. Thanks for reading!


	4. Diamond in the Rough

“Ugh, detention is going to suck…” Hajime groaned in annoyance, taking a bite out of his lunch, which only contained plain rice, before closing his bento box and putting it back in his messenger bag. He lies down on the solid ground, watching the light blue skies on the rooftop of Shining Star High School. 

“And just to make it worse, I had to make a fool out of myself… I’m really gonna go places when I graduate, that’s for sure…” Hajime muttered to himself sarcastically, covering his eyes with the sleeves of his school jacket.

“By the way, wanna hear about this shady rumor that’s been circulating about school lately?” a student asks a question to two other students, who are also at the rooftop, eating their own lunches and discussing about rumors of the school.

“Hm? What rumor?”

“Well, there’s been talks about how someone from our class is affiliated with the local street gang of Crazy Diamond… you know, that one gang that does shady business?” Student #1 says, with a stuffed face full of food, causing the other two to create shocked faces.

“Wait, seriously!? THE CRAZY DIAMOND!?”

“Yes, that Crazy Diamond, you dingus! Who else am I referring to? Crazy Diamond of JaJa’s Normal Adventures?”

“Okay okay, I get it… anyway, what about them? Is there juicy information that you’ve overheard?” Student #3 asks, having recovered from the sudden shock, as Student #1’s eyes light up.

“You know the guy with a baguette glued on his hair, who also says “fuck” and “shit” all the time? And threatens to beat the living crap out of anyone, just because they call him a furry?” 

“You mean Mondo Oowada? Come on dude, he’s an asshole, of course he’d be in that gang… though, he does look like an expired baguette!” Student #2 exclaims, while trash talking Mondo with his buddies.

“Haha… nice one!” Student 1# laughs loudly, before he composes himself and wipes his eyes from any tears of laughter, “Anyway, turns out that Yamagichi saw him with those guys… heck, I’ve heard that he’s second-in-command for the gang.”

“WHAT!? THAT DUMBASS!?” the other two students become shocked yet again, with their expressions turning just as big as the Sun in the sky. After the shocking quote, Hajime sighs and stands up on his own two feet, slinging his messenger bag around his shoulder, before leaving the rooftop to go to the 3rd floor, where the 3rd year classrooms are located at. 

“Wouldn’t be surprised if I see him in detention today… he’s always there, sitting around like he’s the boss... “ Hajime ponders to himself, while walking down the stairs, “Then again, he doesn’t go and talk smack at me, so at least he respects his elders, I think.”

As Hajime takes his last step on the stairs, he finds himself on the third floor of the building, which is used for third years to have their classes, with many third year students and a few teachers found in the hallway.

“Then again, if people in detention heard about what happened in my class, then I’d be bullied by it... “ Hajime says to himself, taking out the music sheet to examine the contents of the sheet, “If only I didn’t take this with me, then I would’ve been scot free from shame...” 

The young boy sighed, with his eyes still glued on the piece of paper in his hands, skimming through it all with utter confusion in his face, not knowing what each bit means or what the symbols are, until he sees something on the bottom left corner of the page that makes him even more curious. 

“Piano? Could this be for a piano player?” Hajime wondered, with gears twisting and turning in his mind, until everything clicks in place. “Could this… belong to someone in this school? It could be a possibility, but even so… I don’t know anyone who’s a pianist, let alone even know of any pianists in general.”

Hajime takes out his mobile phone to check the time on the screen, before placing it back in his pocket. “If I remember, there should be a Music Room in this academy… maybe I can find someone there…” Hajime folds the sheet and places it back in his messenger bag, before departing down the stairs to head off to the Music Room. 

**\--Few minutes later--**

“And this should be the place…” Hajime muttered to himself, standing in front of a door that has a small sign saying ‘Music Room’ written on it. The young boy knocks on the door, hoping for someone to open the door, but to no avail. He opens the door to have a slight look into the room, only for no one to be in besides the many instruments to be found. 

“No one’s in, huh…” He said, looking slightly confused, as he opened the door fully and entered, with his eyes trailing on the equipment around the room, before they fully focus on a singular piano. Hajime approaches the piano, setting his hand on the smooth surface to feel what seems to be a brand new piano, impressed by the quality of the large musical instrument.

The boy went around the piano, fueled with curiosity, even though he isn’t a massive fan of music, before his hand slipped on the piano keys, causing Hajime to escape from the trance and jump in surprise, falling onto the ground yet again.

“Ugh… god dammit… That was awkward… I just hope that no one comes in right now. “ Hajime groaned, picking himself back up to his feet as he brushed his clothes, before noticing the music sheet by his feet. He picked up the music sheet, as he looked up at the piano then back to the music sheet, with the gears in his mind starting to move to produce a light in his brain. 

“... Maybe I could try playing the piano, since no one’s around… Not like I’ll be great at it, but… it’s worth the try.“

Hajime walks up to the piano, as he proceeds to sit on the chair that’s provided for the piano, placing the music sheet on a stand that’s provided with it. Stretching his fingers and hands, he delicately places them on the piano keys, with his sight trying to focus on the keys and the sheet at the same time, with visible confusion plastered on the student’s face, with a droplet of sweat dripping down from his forehead.

“So… what do I press? This sheet doesn’t show me anything at all…” He questions the music sheet, as he didn’t consider what each key represents what note, before his mind randomly maps the many notes to random keys and begins playing the piano… rather poorly to say the least.

“Ugh… this doesn’t sound right at all… Maybe if I… press this key?” Hajime moves his hand from one key to a different one, which creates a rather unpleasant sound to his ears and a rather uneasy face being made on the young boy’s face. 

As he changes and changes the different meanings of the notes and keys, the possibility of someone walking in slowly slipped away from Hajime’s brain, having no regards of any possible danger that can appear from those sliding doors. 

“No… no… no! Agh, playing piano is so difficult!”

However, unbeknownst to him, a young girl quietly entered the Music Room, approaching Hajime without taking his attention away from what he’s doing, as she stands behind him and taps him on the shoulder. “Do you need help with the piano? I can help you out!” the girl says, catching Hajime off guard, as his hands suddenly stops and forces his head to turn the other way around, noticing that a blonde haired girl is behind her. 

“Ah crap! I was so focused on my crappy music that I forgot about someone coming in… I better get out of here!” Hajime said within his mind, as he jumps up from the chair and grabs the messenger bag by the single strap and dashes out of the Music Room, while hearing a few worrying shouts that are telling him to come back, with the shouts becoming quieter and quieter, as the distance between the boy and the room expands, until they can no longer be heard.

**\--After School--**

The school bell rings loudly, signifying the end of school, as everyone finishes up their notes and pack their things in their bags to return to their homes. However, due to rather unfortunate circumstances, Hajime does not get such privilege, as he has to go to a classroom on the first floor which has the slab “Detention” written on it. The boy takes a deep breath and opens the door in front of him, to be greeted by a classroom with a few people that look like natural troublemakers. 

One of those few people are none other than Mondo Oowada, the leader of the Crazy Diamond. Unlike most people in school, he wears a long jacket that looks completely different from typical Shining Star uniform, but still retains the same colors as the male student uniforms. Oh, and his hair has a similar shape to a baguette. 

Sitting next to him are two other boys, with one being a short boy that can be mistaken for a child, with short, grape colored hair, eyes in similar color of their hair, and has a scarf around his next with a checkered pattern on it. The other had a black beanie on his head, with slight bit of pink hair sticking out of the hat, pink eyes and teeth that can be compared to shark teeth, as if he was trying to fit in with the group. 

“Looks like the gang’s all there today… not surprising to be honest…” Hajime sighed, walking over to the same seat that he typically sits in during his classes, as he places his messenger bag down and places his head on it. “I’ll just sleep through it and then get back home…”   
Hajime lazily closes his eyes to sleep through this boring hour, however, a sudden bang prevents him from resting, as he looks to his to see the classroom door open, to see a female student, panting out of exhaustion. For Hajime, the girl looks familiar, as it’s none other than the Music Room girl that he came across earlier during the day.

“S-Sorry I’m late! I got held up by a few classmates after my lesson, so I tried to get here as fast as possible.“ the girl said exhaustedly to the teacher, who was sitting by the table in front of the class, giving a silent nod, understanding the situation that she was in. She sighed in relief, stepping into the classroom and looking for a seat, while Hajime went and hid his face inside his messenger bag, to avoid being spotted by her.

“I thought I wouldn’t see her again, but here she is, in detention… didn’t seem like the type to be in such a rough place after school, guess I was wrong about my first impressions.”

“Oh, it’s you!” the girl exclaimed, her footsteps closing in, becoming louder and louder, to a point that not even the bag can shield Hajime from what could be his worst nightmare. “I didn’t think you’d be here as well… what a coincidence, am I right?”

“...”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Ugh… why!?” Hajime groaned, having thought his day couldn’t get any worse at it is, as he accepts his fate and pulls his face out of his bag and looks to see that the girl is sitting next to him, with a happy grin on her face. “Yeah… Never better…” Hajime responds to the question with his eyes examining her features.

“That’s good… I was thinking that you were sick or something.” the girl said with reassurance, as she places her bag next to her desk, “Oh! That reminds me, I haven’t come across your name at all. I’m Kaede Akamatsu, it’s nice to meet you!” the girl named Kaede introduces herself with optimism, as Hajime tries to think of an introduction to make, due to not having many interactions with other people, besides Hagakure.

“Hajime Hinata… I’m a 3rd year student in Shining Star, a pleasure to meet you, Kaede.” Hajime introduced himself in return, realizing that Kaede had a questionable look on her face, “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine, just that I realized that you were my upperclassmen. I’m a first year here, so that makes me your underclassmen, Hajime.” Kaede explains to Hajime, with the boy being slightly surprised about the sudden discovery, especially when the girl doesn’t seem like a first year to him.

“I see… that’s interesting. “ Hajime sighs, with a lack of enthusiasm in his voice, as he prepares to ask something peculiar out of curiosity, “Anyway, how did someone like you get here? Usually, the worst of the worst are here, but you don’t seem like the type.”

“O-Oh, uh… I overslept and was late for my lesson, on more than one occasion… “ Kaede responds, with her cheeks lighting up out of embarrassment and a smile that tells the whole story, “What about you though?”

“... Homework… It was for Japanese History, so I forgot to do the homework and didn’t hand it in.” Hajime answers, with a few white lies thrown in, as to not make a fool out of himself for handing in a music sheet as his actual homework. 

“Ah… at least we’re not the worst ones here, that’s for sure.”

“I suppose so, but then again… you got people like Mondo Oowada here, who already has his own reputation for who he is. As for those two, I know nothing about them, besides that one of them is my classmate.” Hajime points at the guy in front of him, who’s wearing a beanie. “I don’t remember his name, but I know that he’s not the brightest of the bunch.”

“Oh… I see.” 

“As long as they don’t do anything to me, then it’s all good…” Hajime closes his eyes, attempting to venture deep into his imaginary world, until suddenly, small footsteps heard approaching towards Hajime’s direction, causing him to open his right eye, to see that the boy with the grape hair is close to him, only to see that his eyes are dialed towards Kaede.

“What do you want, Kokichi?” Kaede said, talking to the grape haired boy, named Kokichi in front of her, with an annoyed look on her face that shows her dislike towards him. The boy has noticed the girl’s look on her face, and responds with a wide grin, as if he’s not aware of the atmosphere around him. 

“Oh nothing, just wanted to see my best buddy, Piano Freak! Why else would I be talking to you?” Kokichi replied with supposed positivity, but with malicious intent mixed in that cannot be noticed by any normal person. However, Kaede has noticed, with clear annoyance present on her face. “What? Cat got your tongue?”

“No… it didn’t… are you here to annoy me again? If so, can you just leave me alone.” Kaede said, sounding irritated from the clear presence of Kokichi himself. 

“Aww, don’t be like that, Piano Freak… we’re classmates, we should be friendly towards each other.”

“Yeah right, you’re always harassing me! Why don’t you just leave me alone!?” Kaede demanded, having snapped towards Kokichi, which he did not react or flinch at all. Meanwhile, Hajime is sitting there, watching the confrontation without stepping in between to stop this, not wanting to get involved in this mess. 

“He’s trying to get her mad on purpose… I wish I could help you, but… I’d rather not get myself involved in this… you’re on your own.“ Hajime thought to himself, having clear worry about Kaede, but instead of helping her, he decided to cower away from the whole confrontation.

“Nishishi, come on, Piano Freak… don’t be like this. It’s just my way of being nice.” Kokichi said in a sarcastic way, ticking Kaede even further until she hits her limit and burst like a bomb. It wouldn’t be soon to realize that he has gone beyond that limit, with Kaede slamming her hands on the wooden table and standing up. 

“Just leave me alone, Kokichi!!” Kaede snapped, storming her way towards the classroom door, “I’ll be going to the bathroom…” the girl said, as she left the classroom and closed the door behind her, with silence returning back where it belonged, with everyone looking at each other in shock.

“Kaede... “ Hajime muttered her name, with guilt seen in his eyes, with cold sins crawling along his back, to remind him of what he could have prevented…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the 3rd chapter of Conflic Resolution! I do apologize for taking so long with this chapter, but I was finally able to find the time to work on it and finish it up! Don't worry, the 4th chapter will be on its way eventually, so look out for that. 
> 
> Until then, have a nice day!


	5. Fateful Melody

“I can’t believe this.”

Kaede stormed right past the bathroom and straight towards the music room to get a moment alone. 

“Out of all the days he had to pester me, why today?”

She peeked into the small window on the door that lead to the music room just to make sure that nobody was there, being as she didn’t want to be caught somewhere where she didn’t belong. After verifying that the music room was empty, she opened the door and sat on the piano bench.

First, she had to send out a few text messages canceling a few plans and letting people know where she is so they wouldn’t have to worry about her. The first one went to her mom.

Kaede: “Had to stay after school for detention… I’ll be home around 5:30.”  
  
The second text went to her bandmates.

Kaede: “Bad news. I’m in detention right now.”

Ibuki replied almost immediately.

Ibuki: “Oh nooooo :((( What happened!?”

Kaede: “I was late to class… again. But you can go ahead and rehearse without me tonight. Maybe we can work something out next week.”  
  


It wasn’t long before Sayaka replied to the group chat.

Sayaka: “Alright! See you soon!”

Moments later, she received a reply from her mom.

Mom: “That’s fine, but I’ll be leaving around that time for a meeting, so would it be possible for you to pick up some groceries on the way home?”

Kaede almost halfway expected a response like this, being as her mom was always busy with work. On top of that, they lived close to a convenience store, which was also within walking distance of the school, so she was often asked to bring some stuff on her way home. Since she would be getting out an hour late, this would mean that she wouldn’t be getting home until after dark, due to the winter season. However, her neighborhood was generally a safe place, so she didn’t give it another thought.

Kaede: “Alright, I’ll do that.”

Mom: “Thank you… perhaps you should cut down on your piano rehearsals so that you’re not late to school so much.”

Kaede put her phone in her backpack, ignoring her mom’s comment on cutting down on her playing time. She sifted through the large amounts of sheet music only to realize yet again that her favorite piece had been missing. She decided to settle for Ave Maria… she could go for a more hopeful tune, anyway.

She closed her eyes and her hands played the sweet melody, almost as if they were moving on their own without telling them to. Her feet lightly tapped the pedals when she wanted to sustain certain notes longer as her fingers pressed each key delicately. She lost herself in the music until she hit the final notes of the song.

And then she heard applause. It wasn’t your typical applause that you would hear at a recital… No, this applause was coming from just one person who happened to be passing by and decided to give her song a listen.

“I wasn’t aware that the restroom doubled as a music room.”

Kaede turned around to find a familiar face standing in the doorway. It was none other than the boy she met in detention not too long ago: Hajime Hinata.

“Sorry, I just needed to clear my head.” Kaede folded her hands in her lap nervously. If he told the detention teacher what she was up to, she was doomed. She imagined she’d get a lifetime of detention out of that, and worst of all… Banned from piano for life. 

“It’s okay, I won’t tell.” Hajime sat down on the piano bench next to Kaede. “I’m supposed to be using the restroom as well, so I’d get in trouble too if I told.”

“Then why are you here?” Kaede eyed Hajime with a questioning look. She had heard him playing, or well, more like attempting to play earlier. There was no way he was into piano as much as she was. And what other reason would he have for coming here?

“I heard you playing from down the hall, and… I got curious.” Hajime then pulled out a piece of paper that was folded up in his pocket. “I found this piece of sheet music the other day, and I was wondering who it belonged to. I was thinking that whoever was in here playing might have some answers.”

Kaede glanced over to the sheet of paper, and sure enough, it was the sheet music to Claire de Lune, which she had lost just the day before.

“Oh… that’s actually mine… thank you for finding it.” 

“It wasn’t a problem, really,” Hajime said, handing her the music. “I just found it blowing in the wind.”

Kaede smiled as she put the sheet music back into her backpack. Only then did she notice a faded bruise peeking out from Hajime’s sleeve.

“Hey… what happened to your arm?”

“O-Oh… um…” Hajime quickly pulled down his jacket sleeve to hide the bruise. “I don’t know, honestly. I probably got it in an altercation or something…”

“Altercation..?” That’s right… Kaede had remembered hearing some rumors about Hajime, most of which were told to her by Ibuki, who just so happened to be in his class. People were saying how he would constantly get into fights with the delinquents at their school and that he was always covered in bruises because of it. However, the more she looked at him, the more she realized that he wasn’t the type to start fights, and she knew better than anyone that there are two sides to every story.

“So… do you get picked on too?”

Hajime nodded his head. “It’s not a big deal, really… I’ve gotten used to it by now.”

Kaede honestly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She could barely handle people making snarky remarks about her obsession with piano, yet here was Hajime, who was most likely getting beaten up every day for the three years he’s been here and handled it like it was nothing. But before Kaede could say anything about it, Hajime stood up and headed for the door. 

“Anyway, we should probably get going. The teacher is probably worried about us.” Kaede had no choice but to follow him. She could ask him about it some other time. 

Time passed on, and eventually, the students in detention were finally allowed to go home. Kaede stood up and gathered her belongings as if she had been waiting for this moment for years. But before she left, she turned to Hajime.

“So… I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah… I guess…” Hajime replied with a slight smile before making a beeline towards the door. Kaede couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He just seemed… lonely. However, she couldn’t dwell on it for much longer. She had errands to run, and she didn’t want to be out too late. 

Eventually, Kaede made her way to the convenience store, where she bought a jug of milk, various snacks, coffee grounds (for nights where she needed an extra energy boost to stay up late playing piano, of course), and a bag of treats for her furry friend, Sly. She wished the cashier a good night before stuffing everything she bought into her backpack and making the trip back home. Sure enough, it was dark outside, just as she had expected. The only thing lighting her path was the streetlamp near the sidewalk, though she wasn’t necessarily worried since it was a trip she had made many times.

As Kaede began her journey she heard a faint meowing drawing closer and closer. Judging by the way the source of the sound rubbed up against her leg, she knew it had to be Sly.

“Hey kitty. Have you come to get your daily snack?” She reached into her backpack and pulled out the bag of cat treats, pouring some into her hand and kneeling down to give Sly his treats. 

“I bet you’re super hungry, huh? I’m sorry I took so long today.” Kaede smiled as the cat nibbled on the treats in her hand, but things took a turn for the worse when he instead grabbed the bag in her other hand and ran off with the remaining treats. Almost without thinking, Kaede took off after Sly.

“Hey, get back here! You’re not supposed to eat them all at once!” Kaede continued chasing the little grey rascal, straying from the path she had normally taken home. Determined to get those treats back, she kept up with him as quickly as she could, paying no attention to any of her surroundings. She nearly caught up with Sly until she slipped on an icy patch on the sidewalk and hit the ground with a thud… or so she thought. But a pair of arms catching her and another body cushioning her fall proved otherwise. Kaede took a moment to catch her breath before the body below her finally spoke up.

“O-Ow…” Kaede looked up to assess the person lying below her. Much to her surprise, it was Hajime, the boy she met in the music room and the boy she sat with in detention. The first thing she noticed was his severely bruised nose, which somehow appeared between the time he left detention and now.

“Hajime? Oh god, did I hurt you?”

“No… your fine,” the boy mumbled. Kaede eventually stood up and offered Hajime her hand to help him up, to which he reluctantly accepted. The second thing Kaede noticed was the frail state Hajime seemed to be in. His grip felt weak within her own hand as he struggled to stand up, almost like he was hurting in more places than just his face.

The third thing she noticed was his appearance. Hajime, now without his school jacket was covered in various bruises, some running up and down his arms while others were peeking out from the collar of his seemingly oversized shirt, which happened to be soaked in blood from the blow to his nose, Kaede assumed.

“Come on… we should get you to the hospital.”

“N-No… please don’t… I’ll be fine, I promise,” Hajime protested with slight fear in his voice that almost seemed uncharacteristic for him.

“But you could have a concussion! What would happen if you fell asleep out here?” Kaede honestly couldn’t believe it. He’s out here beaten, bruised, and probably freezing to death, yet he refused to get help.

“I’ve had concussions before, I know I don’t have one right now… I’ll be fine.”

“But you should at least get some of those bruises looked at… Do you at least know your way home from here?” But before Kaede could get her answer, Hajime’s legs gave out from under him as he nearly collapsed to the ground once again, though not before Kaede could rush to his side and catch him. She could hear his stomach growling from beside her. The poor guy probably hasn’t eaten a good meal in a while.

“I don’t know…” Hajime’s voice started to break as though it started to give up too.

“Well how about this,” Kaede said, coming up with an idea. “I have an extra room in my house where you can stay the night, and then we can figure something out in the morning.”

“But… will your parents mind?”

“We’ll be asleep by the time my mom gets home from work… If we sneak out early enough, we won’t have to worry about that.” Normally, Kaede didn’t condone rebelling against parents, but her mom was usually pretty adamant about keeping strangers outside of the house at all costs, and Hajime needed a safe place to stay tonight.

“Okay… if you say so…”

With that, Kaede wrapped Hajime’s hand around her shoulder as she helped him walk to her house, each step seeming slower than the last. She could feel him trembling beside her, but whether that be from hunger or from the cold, she couldn’t tell.

The journey home was long and tiring, but eventually, the pair made their way home. Kaede carefully opened the front door, finding that they were the only ones home at the moment, just as she suspected. She lead Hajime into the spare bedroom and sat him down on the bed.

“Wait right here. I’ll find you something warm to wear to bed.” Kaede hastily left to go to her own bedroom to find… something. She searched through her closet for anything that could fit Hajime that wasn’t too embarrassing for him to wear. Unfortunately, most of her clothes just happened to be pink and frilly, so she eventually settled for a fluffy pink bathrobe. Kaede then grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom and soaked it with warm water. She rushed back to the spare bedroom to find Hajime folding up his bloody shirt and tossing it in the corner of the room. Much like his arms, several bruises decorated his thin frame. Some were faded, and some seemed like they appeared just earlier today.

“It’s just me and my mom living here, so this was the only thing I could find,” Kaede said, handing Hajime the bathrobe, followed by the washcloth. “And this is to wash the blood off. Is there anything else you need?”

“Food…”

“Okay… I’m on it.” Kaede left the room once again to give Hajime the opportunity to change. When she got to the kitchen, she pulled the groceries out of her backpack and placed them in the refrigerator. She grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and made a peanut butter sandwich, then grabbed an ice pack from the freezer before heading back to the spare bedroom. 

“I made you a peanut butter sandwich, and I also got you some ice for your nose in case you want it,” Kaede said, handing Hajime the plate. Hajime, who now looked a bit cleaner, ate the sandwich in silence while Kaede sat down next to him. She just couldn’t bring herself to leave the room, even if she knew he was safe now. But eventually, Hajime broke the silence.

“Hey… why are you being so kind to me? I’m nothing special… I don’t deserve this kind of treatment…”

“Well… it sounds like you really need a friend right now.” Kaede turned to Hajime, looking at him directly in the eye. “And I’m willing to be that person for you.”

“Wh-What’s your name again?”

Kaede gave Hajime a kind smile. “It’s Kaede.”

“Kaede…” Hajime smiled back faintly. Kaede reached out to give Hajime a gentle hug, being very careful as to not hurt him further.

“It’s what friends are for,” she said softly. Hajime eventually hugged her back, his hands resting on the back of her shoulders.

“Thank you, Kaede.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now things are starting to pick up plot-wise, so be prepared for some interesting things to happen. Chapter 5 will hopefully be out soon, so stay tuned. For now, thanks for reading!


	6. Update

Hey there! Just letting you all know that I am in fact still alive (unfortunately, life kind of got in the way of writing). The next two chapters are being written as we speak and will hopefully be uploaded soon.

Until next time, Turnaboutdanganronpa


	7. Forgotten Realm

It is a beautiful and sunny day outside. The brisk and calm winds blow across the trees, shaking a few branches with slight force. Birds were chirping loudly, waking from their deep slumbers in their nest, with the Sun shining brightly across the whole city, causing the scenery to look like a painting. For one person however, mornings are not their most favorite time of the day, especially during the weekend.

“Ugh… “ Hajime groans irritably, covering his shut eyes with his left forearm, to prevent any light to come through the darkness he is currently seeing. Not before long, he took his arm off of his face and opened his eyes ever so slightly to take in his surroundings, which at first, seem a bit foreign, yet familiar. However, it wasn’t the most pressing issue that was on his mind, both in the literal and figurative sense.

“Why does the right hand side of my body feel warm and fluffy?” Hajime asked himself, curious but also worried about what the mysterious ‘warm and fluffy’ is being caused by. He averted his gaze to the right and to his surprise, it was… a girl!

“AHHHH!! GET OUT OF MY BED!!!” Hajime screamed, while trying to kick the person off of their bed. With a few kicks, the person fell off from the bed and came crashing down on the floor with a rather loud thud accompanying it. It didn’t take long for Hajime to realize that he made a huge error in his judgement and logic, as the girl sat up and looked at him, who was none other than the girl that he met yesterday during detention, Kaede Akamatsu.  
“Okay, first of all, this isn’t your bed. You’re in my house.”

“Her… house?” Hajime became dumbfounded by what she mentioned. “This isn’t my house at all? But… how did I even get here in the first place?” Many questions flooded his mind, with little to no answers to those questions at all. 

“Oh, that’s right… you’re probably out of it, aren’t you? Your name is Hajime, right?” 

“Huh? O-Oh… Yeah, it’s Hajime…” He responded with bit of wery in his voice. 

“I see… Do you remember how you got here?” Kaede asked another serious question, as Hajime made a rather puzzling expression on his face, before shrugging as a way of saying, “Sorry, but I don’t know .” All that was in his mind was nothing but a thick fog that blocked passage to those memories, as if he’s in an alternate realm of sorts.

“Well… I guess I should tell you that I found you on the streets last night… do you remember what happened before?” She said, sitting on the edge of the bed he’s lying on, while keeping a reasonable distance. 

“The… streets? That’s quite a story there, Kaede, but I don’t remember it at all.”

“Hajime… have you seen yourself?” Kaede asked with visible concern in her voice and expression, as the boy shook his head and looked down at his arms, to see plenty of bruises on them, causing an even more confused and shocked look to appear. 

“I… How did I get these? I probably tripped and hit my head on my way back home… that’s probably it.”

He heard a loud sigh from Kaede, as he looked towards the girl, still confused about the entire situation. 

“I don’t think tripping would result in something like this…” Kaede explained to Hajime that it was unlikely, as he did remember the one time Hagakure actually tripped and rolled into conveniently placed trash cans like a bowling ball hitting the pins and getting a strike… but that wouldn’t give him that many bruises. 

“I think it would be best if I took you to the hospital… Your condition is just… concerning… I wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you, especially if I knew I didn’t do anything about it…”

“When you put it like that, I guess I do need to get myself checked out… my parents won’t like seeing these bruises, that’s for sure.” Hajime said, looking back at his bruised arms, as every waking second brings more and more questions along… why is he at Kaede’s house? When, how and why? At the current moment, he has no answers for any of those questions, or if he truly believes that Kaede’s being honest.

“Well, I’m sure they’re worried about you, so we should probably go… Can you stand okay?” Kaede stood up to her own two feet and offered her hand for him, which he reluctantly grabbed and got out of the bed he was lying on. As he tried to stand up, his legs with visibly shaking in pain and discomfort. 

“Ugh… to answer your question… no, not really.”

“I was afraid of that…” Kaede said worryingly, as he leaned his body towards her to help keep his balance, and as if right on queue, his stomach started to rumble. “You’re probably hungry too, aren’t you?” He nodded slightly, as his body is begging for food right now, having felt like he hasn’t eaten for days or weeks. 

“Let me help you to the kitchen, then. I’ll make you something before we go.” Hajime nodded yet again, letting Kaede guide him towards the kitchen. Once they got there, Kaede helped Hajime to sit on the chair, placing his hands on the table in front of him, as he took in his new surroundings. Before long, he looked towards Kaede, who was already cooking.  
“I always eat peanut butter sandwiches after a long night of playing piano just because I forget to eat sometimes. It’s filling, I promise,” Kaede said to the boy, as she remained her focus on preparing breakfast. He sighs, methodically thinking about what got him here, but to no avail. Before long, the girl sat down on a chair next to him, placing a plate that had a peanut butter sandwich on it. 

“It’s not much, but I hope you like it.” Hajime nodded, as a way of showing his gratitude, before he grabbed the sandwich with both his hands and took a small bite out of it. “So… do you do anything outside of school?” Kaede asked, as Hajime puts down his sandwich back on the plate and looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Nothing spectacular, really. I just go home, spend some free time on my own and that’s it… I’m an average high school student, so I’m nothing unique.” He answered, as if he was sort of prepared with that type of question, but considering his lack of talent for anything in particular, there was not much he could say.

“What about you? Do you do anything besides piano?”

“Actually, I-” Kaede took a sudden and long pause, before she made a loud sigh of what would one assume be disappointment at oneself. “Well… no, not really.” She finally answered, which took Hajime by surprise. Does she only play piano and nothing else?   
“I mean… I do help my mom out around the house sometimes, but I guess that doesn’t count.”

“Your mom?” Hajime said, with slight confusion in his tone. He has been wondering for most of the day about her relatives, before seeing a slight nod coming from Kaede. “I’m guessing you only live with your mom or…?” He pressed the question on Kaede.

“Yeah, it’s just us around here, and even then, she’s out most of the time, picking up whatever work she can find.” Kaede answered with another sigh alongside it, as Hajime thinks if it’s a touchy subject for her. 

“My dad disappeared when I was little, and if I’m honest, I don’t really remember him. I always thought our guest bedroom was there in case he decided to come back, but she always tells me to never speak of him... “

“Oh, I see… sorry for bringing it up.” He quickly apologized, as he clapped his hands together and bowed towards her. Deep inside, he felt sympathy for her, seeing that her life has been rough in some shape and form, yet her outside exterior gives off a positive vibe about her. Yet, at the same time, he does feel a bit of jealousy, knowing that not only she is talented, but most likely has friends that she is close with. 

“No, don’t apologize. You’re my f-” She interrupted herself yet again, causing Hajime’s eyebrow to raise. What was she going to say? With some many questions being piled on and on, with barely any answers in sight, it’s difficult to say, before she continued speaking. “I mean… it’s not really something I’ve let off my chest before, so… thank you for listening.”

“You’re welcome. If you want to talk about anything, then I’m all ears, I guess… then again, no one talks about anything with me anyway, besides that one guy.” He said, wondering about how Hagakure was doing, especially when it came to his encounter with that random cat and if he’s stayed away from constant trouble that he talks about when he meets him. 

“Wait… who’s that one guy?” Hajime suddenly froze in place, as he realized that he let on a bit too much. 

“Uh… just some guy I’ve met one time… that’s all.” He quickly responded with a half-baked response, even though the ‘some guy’ is one of his close acquaintances that sells drugs to people in shady alleyways, while also being homeless and has a string of bad luck that not even Einstein can explain. However, he noticed Kaede’s expression pressing him, as the boy’s eyes dart around a bit, before she let him off for now.

“Anyway… we should probably get you to the hospital,”

“Alright... “ Hajime said, looking down at his plate to see the sandwich has disappeared, probably due to him eating without realizing it at all. “Hopefully, the trip to the hospital will explain how I got these bruises and scratches…” He thought to himself, looking down at his hands, before he sighed and attempted to get up on his own, only to realize that his body struggles to lift itself up. However, Kaede was able to catch him in her arms, ensuring that he doesn’t fall down onto the floor.

“Here, why don’t you hop on my back? We’ll get there faster that way,” Kaede offered to give Hajime a piggyback ride, which made him blush out of embarrassment, but due to her not seeing his face, he was able to hide his face pretty well. 

“N-no thanks… besides, it would look weird...” Hajime politely declined the offer, as to not wanting to spark up any further rumors across the school for being carried by a woman and to drag his name into the everlasting pit that he himself has dug. He soon realized that Kaede has turned to face him, giving him the most deadpan expression that he has ever seen, while disregarding his current problem of blushing.

“Well how else are we gonna get there? You can barely stand on your own two feet!” Kaede said, as Hajime looked away for a second, thinking of a plausible solution, only to come up with a certain response that only a Hajime Hinata can come up with. “Besides, everyone already thinks I’m with my best friend, I doubt anyone would think anything of it.”

“Well… why don’t you grab a chair, add wheels to it and you have a wheelchair to use.” Hajime responded, with the most sarcastically obvious tone in his voice, as his inner voice cracks up in laughter… something that he has lost since his childhood. He disregarded it for now, focusing back on the current predicament that he is in. 

“I guess the only other option would be to call an ambulance.” 

“I guess that would work… or I could sling my arm around your shoulder and walk to the hospital… that way, no one will bat an eye at us.” Hajime explained his idea to Kaede, due to it being easier on her, not that he doubts that she’s weak, but more importantly, not be very suspicious to the crowd.

“That’s a good idea,” Kaede agreed, as she slung his arm across her shoulder and lifted him up to his two feet. “We should probably get going, then… I imagine this might be a long walk.”

“Alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I do want to sincerely apologize for the lack of updates on when the next chapter would be revealed, but alas, after many months, this chapter was written and submitted! The next chapter will be coming out shortly, so look out for that!
> 
> Until then, have a nice day!


	8. Seek A Way Out

Warmth… what a wonderful feeling it is. The warmth of a sunny day, the warmth of a wool blanket, the warmth of a hug from a loved one… Warmth was the perfect feeling for a cold winter morning like today. Smiling from the warmth she felt from the sun peeking through her window, Kaede hugged her pillow tighter, embracing the extra sleep she had been needing each day leading up to the weekend.

A faint mumbling of a somewhat familiar voice could be heard close by, though she couldn’t quite understand what they were saying. Kaede smiled and breathed a sigh of content as she nestled her head into her pillow even more. She couldn’t quite understand why her pillow felt so warm and firm all of a sudden, but on a day like today, she just didn’t bother questioning life’s mysteries. However, Kaede’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden scream.

“AHHHH!! GET OUT OF MY BED!!!”

Before Kaede could respond, she found herself landing face first on the ground. She sat up to assess the situation. In the bed of her guest bedroom was the boy she found wandering the streets the night before. The only conclusion she could come up with is that they had somehow fallen asleep in the same bed on accident.

“Okay, first of all, this isn’t your bed. You’re in my house.”

  
  


The boy stared at her in utter confusion.

  
“Oh, that’s right… you’re probably out of it, aren’t you? Your name is Hajime, right?” she asked, making sure he at least knew the basics.

“Huh? O-Oh… Yeah, it’s Hajime…”

“I see… Do you remember how you got here?” She assessed the bruises that had somehow formed around his eyes overnight. Hajime shrugged as though he had just as much of a clue as she did on how he ended up on the streets in the middle of the night in the first place.

“Well… I guess I should tell you that I found you on the streets last night… do you remember what happened before?” Kaede sat on the edge of the bed, being somewhat careful not to get uncomfortably close to him.

“The… streets? That’s quite a story there, Kaede, but I don’t remember it at all.” Ah, so it was probably worse than she expected with this lapse in memory. 

“Hajime… have you seen yourself?” she asked the boy lying in the bed beside her with concern. Hajime shook his head as he assessed his own injuries, looking just as shocked and confused as she had.

“I… How did I get these? I probably tripped and hit my head on my way back home… that’s probably it.”

Kaede sighed in a mixture of disappointment and worry.

“I don’t think tripping would result in something like this…” She wanted to ask further questions, but stopped herself. There could be many reasons why Hajime would end up like this… he could’ve gotten mugged on his way home… he could’ve run into Mondo and his gang… maybe his parents…

No, she couldn’t be jumping into conclusions right now. She had to focus on the present and the situation that presented itself to her in this very moment.

“I think it would be best if I took you to the hospital… Your condition is just… concerning… I wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you, especially if I knew I didn’t do anything about it…”

“When you put it like that, I guess I do need to get myself checked out… my parents won’t like seeing these bruises, that’s for sure.” Parents… used in plural form… So he had both of his parents in his life… Kaede had always wondered what that was like… No… she was getting sidetracked yet again.

“Well, I’m sure they’re worried about you, so we should probably go… Can you stand okay?” Kaede stood up and offered Hajime her hand. He took her hand and attempted to shift his weight onto his feet, only to fall. Kaede quickly caught him before he could hit the ground.

“Ugh… to answer your question… no, not really.”

“I was afraid of that…” Kaede helped Hajime to stand up as he leaned on her, hearing a growling that only an empty stomach would make. “You’re probably hungry too, aren’t you?” Hajime nodded weakly.

“Let me help you to the kitchen, then. I’ll make you something before we go.” The pair carefully headed off towards the kitchen. After what seemed like forever, they made it to their destination. Kaede helped Hajime sit down on a chair next to the empty table before going into the pantry to look for her usual “cooking supplies.”

Kaede rummaged through several ingredients, looking for one specific item. When she finally found it, she grabbed it, along with two slices of bread, and got to work. 

“I always eat peanut butter sandwiches after a long night of playing piano just because I forget to eat sometimes. It’s filling, I promise,” she said to Hajime while focusing on making the sandwich. Her once joyful expression fell slightly when she heard an audible sigh coming from the boy sitting across the room. She wanted to help him, she really did, but his situation was just so… bizzare. The best she could do was take care of his more immediate needs and go from there. Hoping to cheer him up just a little, Kaede took the seat next to Hajime and handed him the peanut butter sandwich.

“It’s not much, but I hope you like it.” Kaede smiled as Hajime took a bite. At the very least, she was glad he was eating something. “So… do you do anything outside of school?” she asked, trying to make the silence between them less awkward.

“Nothing spectacular, really. I just go home, spend some free time on my own and that’s it… I’m an average high school student, so I’m nothing unique.” Kaede frowned a little. Surely he must do something, right? Especially since he doesn’t seem to do any extracurricular activities, or seem to have a lot of friends, from what she’s heard.

“What about you? Do you do anything besides piano?”

“Actually, I-” Kaede stopped herself. Did she really do anything besides piano? She thought about Hajime’s question for longer than she’d like to admit before sighing. “Well… no, not really.” She felt immense disappointment for herself, thinking she must be pretty boring to him, just like almost anyone else she came across. “I mean… I do help my mom out around the house sometimes, but I guess that doesn’t count.”

“Your mom?” Hajime questioned, to which Kaede nodded slightly. “I’m guessing you only live with your mom or…?”

“Yeah, it’s just us around here, and even then, she’s out most of the time, picking up whatever work she can find.” Kaede sighed again, almost feeling the sting of loneliness somewhere deep within her heart. “My dad disappeared when I was little, and if I’m honest, I don’t really remember him. I always thought our guest bedroom was there in case he decided to come back, but she always tells me to never speak of him…”

“Oh, I see… sorry for bringing it up.” Hajime hung his head while clapping his hands together, as if he felt bad for even saying something in the first place.

“No, don’t apologize. You’re my f-” Kaede stopped herself from finishing that sentence, realizing that he probably didn’t remember the conversation they had the night before. “I mean… it’s not really something I’ve let off my chest before, so… thank you for listening.”

“You’re welcome. If you want to talk about anything, then I’m all ears, I guess… then again, no one talks about anything with me anyway, besides that one guy,” Hajime responded. Kaede couldn’t help but smile a little. Between Sayaka’s and Ibuki’s constant cheerfulness and Shuichi’s much more complicated home life, she never really had room to talk about her own problems, so it was nice to have someone to listen to her.

“Wait… who’s that one guy?”

“Uh… just some guy I’ve met one time… that’s all.” Kaede gave him the look that her mom would always give her when questioning her for being out too late, but she decided not to press Hajime on the subject for the time being.

“Anyway… we should probably get you to the hospital,” Kaede said, noticing the empty plate in front of Hajime.

“Alright... Hopefully, the trip to the hospital will explain how I got these bruises and scratches…“ Hajime attempted to stand up, only to collapse right into Kaede’s arms. 

“Here, why don’t you hop on my back? We’ll get there faster that way,” she said, kneeling down in front of Hajime with her back turned towards him.

“N-no thanks… besides, it would look weird...” Hajime replied. Kaede turned her head to face Hajime, giving him a deadpan expression while also noticing that his face was bright red.

“Well how else are we gonna get there? You can barely stand on your own two feet!” Kaede quietly sighed to herself in frustration. “Besides, everyone already thinks I’m with my best friend, I doubt anyone would think anything of it.”

“Well… why don’t you grab a chair, add wheels to it and you have a wheelchair to use.”

“Is this guy for real?” Kaede thought to herself. Either he was being extremely sarcastic, or he’s extremely high. Kaede was starting to form her own comeback, but stopped short when she realized that arguing back probably wouldn’t help the situation.

“I guess the only other option would be to call an ambulance,” Kaede said, thinking about her options.

“I guess that would work… or I could sling my arm around your shoulder and walk to the hospital… that way, no one will bat an eye at us,” said Hajime.

“That’s a good idea,” Kaede nodded in agreement while placing Hajime’s arm around her shoulder like she did the night before. “We should probably get going, then… I imagine this might be a long walk.”

“Alright.”

The walk to the hospital was long and tiring, but the pair of unlikely friends eventually made it to the hospital. Unfortunately due to the situation not being considered an emergency, they had to wait several hours just to get checked into a room, but at least Hajime was able to get around in a proper wheelchair that the hospital provided to him. Hajime didn’t seem to mind as he stared aimlessly at the television in the waiting room. Kaede, on the other hand, couldn’t help but worry about her new friend. Was it really true that he had been getting into fights after school? Or worse… what if it was his parents that caused him this mess? Kaede squished that thought like a bug. She couldn’t assume the worst right now.

“Maybe it’s time I start walking him home from school,” she thought to herself. “I mean, nobody would have the audacity to hit a girl, right?”

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Hajime was finally called into an office. A nurse asked him several questions, like his name, his birthday, and the reason why he was here. It pained Kaede to see him struggling to answer some of those questions, but she felt some relief in knowing that he was in good hands now.

Afterwards, they were lead into a room with a bed where a couple of doctors were able to place Hajime. After lots of poking, prodding, and x-rays, the doctors left the room for a bit to examine the results, while Kaede and Hajime sat in silence as they waited for a diagnosis of some sorts.

After several more minutes of waiting, two doctors entered the room, one of them holding a clipboard. They took a moment to whisper some sort of conversation to each other. Kaede could only make out something along the lines of “I’ll give him the results if you speak to her” coming from the doctor holding the clipboard.

The other doctor, a seemingly gentle woman, finally spoke up.

“May I speak to you in private please?” Kaede’s eyes widened in horror, knowing that this had to be serious, but she had no choice but to follow the doctor into a separate room while the one with the clipboard stayed behind to give Hajime the rundown of his injuries.

The doctor started explaining some of the injuries that Hajime had sustained and how they wanted to keep him overnight to make sure that he didn’t have any serious brain injuries, due to the blow to his face that ended up breaking his nose, along with the fact that he was severely malnourished and needed to be fed through an IV for a couple of days. But what the doctor said next was something that haunted Kaede’s mind.

“Hajime doesn’t seem to recall the events that happened the night before, which can often be a defense mechanism from experiencing traumatic events… Do you know of anything that might be going on at home?” Kaede shook her head in response, unable to form a single sentence from the shock. “Well if you find anything out, let me know.” The doctor walked away briskly, leaving Kaede sitting alone in the hallway. Knowing what she had to do next, Kaede bolted out the door. 

Kaede eventually made it back the way she came as she unlocked the door to her house.

“Where have you been, young lady?” a stern voice asked.

“I’m sorry, mom… I can explain,” Kaede sat down on the couch as her mother eyed her with disappointment. “I was gonna ask you if someone from school could stay in our guest bedroom for a bit.”

“You know how I feel about inviting strangers into our home,” her mother said, her expression unchanging.

“He’s not a stranger, mom… he’s a friend of mine from school… and… I think he might be in a bad situation. I would just hate for something bad to happen to him knowing that we have an extra room to spare.”

Her mother sighed as her once stern face softened a bit, as if she knew exactly how this friend she had never met felt.

“Okay… I’ll allow it… But he has to follow the house rules, and no baby-making is allowed under this roof.”

“Mom…” Kaede rolled her eyes, though she was secretly thankful that her mother was generous enough to let Hajime stay at their home while he needed to.

Now for the more daunting task at hand… Finding Hajime’s house and gathering up some of his stuff. Kaede felt like an idiot for not asking Hajime where he lived before she left. Luckily, her help came in the form of a bum with dreadlocks sticking out left and right chasing after Sly, the infamous snack thief, who was carrying a brown paper bag in his mouth.

“Hey, get back here you crazy cat!” the bum shouted, but it was all in vain as the grey cat scampered off into the woods. “Man, that was some good cush too.”

“Can I help you?” Kaede asked, stunned.

“I don’t think I’ll be getting my goods back anytime soon,” the bum sighed in defeat. “Although I have been looking for a friend of mine since last night. Maybe you can help me with that. His name is Hajime… he’s tall, thin, kind of keeps to himself… Have you heard of him?”

“Oh yeah, I know him. He stayed at my place last night, he’s perfectly safe,” Kaede replied.

“Phew, that’s a relief,” the bum sighed, placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, his parent’s aren’t good people, man. I usually set up camp close to where he lives, and day in and day out, he gets thrown out of his house, and he’s covered in new bruises each time… Sometimes he’ll even sustain a few broken bones. Luckily my mom’s a nurse, so she does what she can to patch him up while we give him shelter for the night, but… it’s hard man, especially when you’re homeless.”

“I see…” Kaede tried not to tear up as her worst fears were confirmed. But moments later, she came up with a solution to her current problem. “Well you don’t have to worry anymore. He’s staying with me for as long as he needs to. But… I was wondering if you could help me get some of his stuff so that he doesn’t have to continue wearing my bathrobe to bed.”

“So you’re asking me to help break into his house?” the bum inquired.

“Well… yes.”

“Well today is your lucky day, because I’m an expert at that.” The bum put his hands on his hips and smiled. “By the way… I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet. Most people call me Hagakure around here.”

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu… nice to meet you.”

The newly accomplices shook hands before heading off to Hajime’s residence. Unlike Kaede’s neighborhood, it was in a more shady part of town, and the house itself looked like it had been worn out for quite some time.

“Okay, so first what you have to do is take a hard object like this rock and-”

“Hagakure, there’s a key under the mat, we can get in without breaking anything,” Kaede said, picking up the key and unlocking the front door. The first thing she noticed was that the house was an absolute disaster. There were various bottles of alcohol lying on the floor, and it looked like the house hadn’t been cleaned in years. Then she noticed what looked to be a middle aged man passed out on the couch, holding a bottle in his hand. Kaede and Hagakure tiptoed passed the man in his slumber until they eventually found what looked to be Hajime’s room.

“Take anything that might be important… I’ll put them in my backpack,” Kaede said, searching through his drawers. Hagakure immediately started taking the “Jaja’s Normal Adventures” figurines off of the dresser. “Put those back, I’m not gonna be able to fit all of those in here with the essentials.” Hagakure sighed in disappointment and reluctantly put the figurines back. After packing up everything Hajime would need, the two headed back out to the entrance.

“Well it looks like you won’t be needing my help anymore, so I’ll part ways with you. See ya, dude!” With that, Hagakure jumped out the window, causing it to shatter in several tiny pieces, making a sound loud enough to wake the man on the couch. Kaede attempted to make her exit, only to be cornered by him.

“Get out of my house,” the man said, backing Kaede into a corner. Kaede froze in shock as the man stood over her, clutching the bottle in his right hand as he shouted even louder. “I said… GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE!!!” The man took the bottle and smashed it over Kaede’s head hard enough to knock her over. Luckily for Kaede, she managed to find the front door and bolt out.

Kaede ran away from there as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face and stinging the cut on her cheek she sustained from the blow. It wasn’t fair… how could somebody be this cruel? Who would beat someone that they were supposed to love? Now she understood why Hajime was in the state he was, and she vowed then and there that she would give him a better life… a life where no one was cruel and treated him like a decent human being.

Out of breath, Kaede burst through Hajime’s door looking like a complete trainwreck. Hajime, now covered in bandages and tubes, was startled awake by her sudden entrance.

“Kaede… what happened to you?”

Kaede smiled weakly as she approached Hajime’s bedside, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

“Don’t worry… you’re safe now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist: I'm uploading two chapters today. Fun fact, these most recent chapters were written side by side from two different perspectives, as you can probably tell. Merry (belated) Christmas! Hopefully more content will come soon!


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